Felt F1 Bike Review

5th January 2012

We put this stunning superbike from Felt through its paces in our Four Ride review.

FIRST RIDE

Stealthy is one way to describe the F1. Each frame is handmade, which is complimented with high-end kit: Shimano’s electronic Di2 groupset, ergonomic carbon bars and an aluminium stem from Felt’s component arm, Devox. It rolls on some high-performing Dura-Ace C24 clincher wheels and the weight without pedals is just 6.37kg. Out on the first ride, the bike felt nimble and taut but we knew the electronic shifters would take some getting used to.

FAST RIDE

The bike responded really well over longer efforts. Power transmission from pedal to road was almost instantaneous. The butch bottom bracket and chainstays gave the bike a planted feel. Flat sprints were a joy because the cockpit stayed totally rigid. The only time we sensed some give was under extreme load in short uphill sprints from a standing start. But given the lightness of the set-up and the size of the rider, we were expecting a lot more flex and twist.

HILLY RIDE

Its acceleration uphill was sensational, and seated efforts saw the bike surge forward. Gears went as low as 39×23, but given the excellent power transfer it wasn’t a struggle until gradients hit about 15 per cent. On steep inclines, the bike was nimble and danced uphill. Here we experienced the only downside of the bike – the tyres. We got a lot of wheel spin on damp gradients above 12 per cent, which isn’t good enough on a £7,500 bike, but the problem’s easily fixed.

LONG RIDE

The comfort of the frame was its best feature. The combination of power transmission, light-touch electronic controls and classical bars meant hunkering down was a pleasure. The bike soaked up road buzz without any loss of power. Over a stretch of stony tar in which we usually feel every pebble, we felt like we were floating over the worst of it. Best of all was the feeling that almost every watt of power produced at the pedal was put on the road.